It's the Simple Things...

So, it's been a little while since my last post, and spring has totally sprung in South Carolina....just ask my allergies.  :/ 

We've been taking advantage of the gorgeous weather lately, and last weekend I was able to get outside and start some gardening.  The stargazer lilies I planted last year surprised me and started growing again.  Last year was my first experience planting bulbs, and Jay likes to say I have a black thumb; I think it's more of a greenish-gray.  My gladiolas (gladioli?) also put in a shocking return; I say shocking because I forgot to dig up the bulbs last year before the weather turned, so I'd given them up for dead - literally.  This year, I also decided to try and plant some sunflowers and a knockout rose bush which is already blooming and smells beautiful!  But my favorite "chore" of the year was to plant the vegetable garden. 

We went with the old standards of Beefsteak and Roma tomatoes (the  SC Farmers Market has some really great looking - and cheap! - tomato plants already), zucchini, yellow squash, rainbow peppers, buttercrunch and romaine lettuce.  This year I also decided to try some spaghetti squash (anyone who's grown this before, I'd love some feedback), carrots, and sugar snap peas.  The only problem now is waiting until they start growing!

We also bought some herbs this weekend for the deck planters:  basil, rosemary, thyme, chives, mint, oregano, and cilantro.  I love going out the back door and clipping some fresh herbs to cook with.  They look beautiful in the planters, and when the breeze picks up, they smell wonderful!

Tonight's dinner was a simple one.  We grilled some NY Strips seasoned only with salt and pepper and steamed some broccoli with some garlic alongside.  I made a chive butter to go on top of the steaks, and topped the broccoli with freshly grated parmiggiano-reggiano cheese.  All told, the meal only took about ten minutes to make, but it was perfect.

TGIF

It's finally the end of a VERY long week, and I'm exhausted.  I really hate that my third post is of the "I didn't feel like cooking tonight" variety, but it is what it is.  Sometimes, however, not wanting to cook turns out to be something wonderful, like tonight.

I was really excited the other day when I discovered that the grocery store closest to me finally started to carry pancetta.  Knowing I had that on hand, but hitting a mental block when it came to dinner tonight, I googled "pancetta recipes" for inspiration and something easy to make.  I came across a "PLT (Pancetta, Lettuce, and Tomato)" recipe by Michael Chiarello, and wondered why I didn't think of it myself.

Here's my take on it, served with chips and a pickle, of course (they didn't make the picture):

In my version, I used sourdough bread, mozzarella and cheddar cheese, and cooked it on my indoor grill.  Once the cheese melted and the bread toasted, I put in Roma tomatoes, baby spinach, and sliced green onions.  Talk about HEAVEN!!!!  The cool, crisp vegetables with the melted cheese and crispy, salty pancetta was amazing.  My only regret?!  Only eating one sandwich.

Have a great weekend!

I Heart Quiche

I love quiche.  I could eat it every day and never get sick of it.  It's got all of my favorite flavor combinations:  salty, sweet, savory, rich...what's not to like?!  Home alone, I was left to my own devices for dinner.  Ordinarily, I wouldn't bother cooking, I'd just kind of graze throughout the evening.  I really hate cooking for just myself for some reason.

I was on FaceBook when I got home from work this evening, and my friend Cori had posted a recipe for a quick quiche, without the pie crust.  Side note:  I really don't care to bake; it's too exact for my liking.  I'd prefer to just throw stuff together and see how it comes out.  I cheat and buy the frozen pie crusts.  Anyway, I checked out the recipe and lo and behold, I had all of the ingredients! 

I decided to suck it up and bake myself a quiche; besides, it makes for excellent leftovers.  An hour later, I was graced with this beauty:

One of the things I like best about making a quiche is its versatility.  You can throw in virtually any combination of meat, cheese, and/or veggies, and it tastes fantastic hot or cold.  For this particular version, I used bacon, Swiss cheese, baby Vidalia onions, and thyme.  For those of you who live down South and have access to baby Vidalias (I got mine at the farmers market, for anyone in the Cola area), please do yourself a favor and buy some.  The flavor is so sweet, and they're absolutely wonderful raw or cooked.  

This combination was wonderful; it had the sweetness of the onions, the smoky saltiness of the bacon, and the nutty Swiss cheese rounded it all out nicely.  I'm classifying this as relatively healthy, due to the lack of crust.  That's my story, anyway, and I'm sticking to it!

Is This Thing On?!

Hello out there! 

Well, thanks for stopping by!  This is my first post and my first blog ever, so please bear with me.  I decided to start this blog in an attempt to unleash some creativity.  Those of you that know me, know that I'm not the most creative person out there, but that I love to cook and love to write.  A couple of months ago, my good friend Colleen suggested  that I combine the two and start blogging.  I finally decided to take her advice and get off my butt.  Thanks, Colleen...I think!

Okay...so here's a little about me.  My husband, Jay, and I both love to cook for each other, our family, and friends.  I get as much pleasure out of watching people enjoy the food I make as I do making it.  Cooking is very therapeutic to me; nothing beats getting my aggressions out chopping up a poor defenseless clove of garlic.  I use fresh ingredients as much as I possibly can, especially when it comes to herbs.  With few exceptions, there is just no comparison.  Oddly enough, the only green beans that Jay eats come from a can and are French-cut.  To each his own, I suppose.

We grow our own herbs and vegetables in the spring and summer here; the mild winters in South Carolina are ideal to start early, and we'll often still have produce into November, if they can survive the heat of the summer.  There is nothing better than going out into the yard and harvesting dinner for that night.  Last weekend we took our first trip to the farmers market in Columbia, and it's really inspired me to (for the moment, anyway) concentrate on the veggie aspect of the meal, rather than focusing on a meat. 

Monday night, I made a gorgeous stir fry to accompany a teriyaki chicken breast that Jay grilled.  It had baby Vidalia onions, baby squash, carrots, water chestnuts, and green beans sauteed with fresh ginger, garlic, chili flakes, soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds. 

Unfortunately, I didn't get the finished product, but the colors were just so beautiful sitting in the pan.  I've totally got spring fever now! 

Tonight's dish is a crustless quiche with bacon, swiss cheese, baby Vidalia onions, and fresh thyme.  If it looks as good as it's currently smelling, I'll post some pictures.  My apologies for the crappy picture quality.  Jay is the photographer in the family; just be grateful this is in focus and my thumb isn't in the way.

Thanks for reading!